Apricot
by Aqua Alta
Summary: He finds himself unable to take off his eyes from her and her dance. Illusion appears before his eyes. What's happening to him? AU, one shot. Atemu x Anzu


_APRICOT_

**Author's Note:**

**This is just a pointless story from me. An AU fic, and a one-shot nonetheless. I don't know what the hell I am thinking…. Anyway, I hope you can enjoy this and _understand_ it. Really, I'm practically going _insane_ lately. Since when do I enjoy writing romantic stuffs, by the way!**

**Oh yeah, one more, the song that Anzu will sing in the story is 'Unexplainable', and it's mine (winks).**

**Please, at least _try_ to enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own YGO. The song is mine, though.**

He was wandering around the city, a peasant cloak wrapped around his body. A hood covered his face, giving him a mysterious look. Beneath the cloak, he still had his complete set of kingdom robe, and his Millennium Puzzle was still dangling from its chain around his neck. The presence of that thing always calmed him in a way he did not understand, yet he did not expect to understand either. He had had the Millennium Puzzle since he could remember, and he never left with it.

He slipped through the crowds of the market, looking around in mild interest. He always loved the market, for there he could see people coming and going by. Especially near the dance stage, right at the very middle of the marketplace. Although it was just some local dance stage, he had seen quite a lot of what he called 'nice dances with good qualities'. It was a compliment, for as the heir of the throne of Egypt, he was used in seeing the high-class dances coming from the best dancers from all over the world.

The dance stage was crowded by people that day. It usually did, yet that day was a bit different. There were so many people that he barely could watch what was happening on the stage, yet from all the shouts and cheers, he could make out a word: "Apricot!"

_'What in the name of Ra is happening here?'_ he asked inwardly, bewildered. He pushed through the crowds until he came to the edge of the stage, and immediately he felt as if he had been in Heaven, and he definitely didn't want to come back down.

A girl was dancing on the stage, and she was probably one or two years younger than him. Her coffee brown hair flowed with the wind, following her movements. Her forehead was covered with sweats, yet her steps were as light as feathers, soft yet powerful. Her movements almost looked as if in fluid motion, and when Atemu finally could catch a glimpse of her eyes, he was practically stupefied.

Her eyes were in the color of the sky in a bright, cloudless day. They were deep and piercing, yet also soft at the same time. They caught his gaze for a few seconds before turning again, and Atemu felt as if his heart had left him with them.

_'What is happening to me?'_

The dance continued, and he could feel his heart beating hard against his ribcage, threatening to burst in anytime. The girl was wearing a simple peasant dress, yet when he blinked, suddenly it was replaced by a thin translucent aquamarine top—loose yet showed her body well—and a long flowing skirt in the gradation color of deep aquamarine to pure white, all made from the finest silk. Her bare feet were suddenly covered by a pair of dancing slippers, and around her wrists dangled many bracelets that glistened under the sunlight in golden and silver. A tiara of silver, with tear-shaped aquamarine on the middle of it, crowned her coffee colored hair, and an aquamarine glinted under the Egyptian sun, dangling from the silver chain around her neck.

Rich music came into his ears, and without him knowing, he was already standing on the balcony of the palace of Egypt, staring down at the garden below. A huge party had started, and everybody was singing and dancing. Wine was poured, and golden goblets reflected the light from the torches and candles. The moon was full, a bright silvery ball high up in the night sky. And there, in the center of the crowds, she danced on the stage.

Yet when he blinked again, the illusion vanished into mist.

Once again he blinked, and found himself drowning in his previous illusion. He didn't blink anymore, afraid to lose the scene in front of him. The girl's hip swayed with the rhythm of the music, and from faraway he could hear someone calling out, "Apricot!"

He climbed down the stairs and pushed through the crowds. Now he was standing at the edge of the stage, exactly in the position he was in reality. Yet he didn't stop there. He climbed up onto the stage, finding himself drowning into her eyes even more. Then, as sudden as it had started, the image disappeared.

The crowds cheered, louder than ever. "Apricot!" they shouted. "Give us another dance, Apricot!"

He looked around, and realized that her dance was over. Still in a dazed condition, he stared at the girl. "Apricot…," he whispered to himself.

The girl caught his eyes again, and this time he found himself having a hard time to breathe.

The girl glanced away, yet with a faint blush covering her cheeks. He smirked, something he did without even realizing and knowing why. Yet he let it be, for as his father had said, some things in the world are best to believe unexplainable.

The feeling he was feeling had to be one of those things; he was sure of that.

The music started again, and the girl danced once more, yet this time singing also. Her voice was not that great compared to her dancing, yet it had all the emotions in it, and it had the same petrifying effect her dances had.

_Heart is the most understanding part of us_

_Yet who says it is the most understandable one?_

_Confusing and sometimes leading astray_

_With feelings as the weapons_

Her eyes caught his again, and they stared at each other for a mere second, a second that felt like eternity to both of them. Another blush appeared on her cheeks, yet deeper than the previous one.

_Perhaps never means to hurt, yet accidents do happen_

_Tread carefully with each feeling that comes by_

_What you pass may be what you miss, however_

_What you hold on may be what is the worst for you_

She danced, her steps gaining more strength and confidence, yet somehow getting more soft and shy. Atemu couldn't take his eyes off her; he was falling into an endless pit, falling forever. And he didn't want to be saved.

_Feelings those are unexplainable and sometimes painful_

_Too beautiful to be let go, yet too painful to be kept_

_What is this, I don't know, and I doubt I ever will_

'_Cause some things in this world are better to be left_

_Unexplainable…_

She moved, her dress flowing after her. Her voice floated through the air, giving a curious warmth and a safe feeling to the ones who heard it. _'She is an angel,'_ Atemu thought. _'An apricot, maybe she is. But she is definitely an angel.'_

_This silent nervous feeling, unnerving yet not unwelcome_

_Heart is beating hard, cheeks flushing red in sudden shyness_

_Sometimes hurting, yet warm all the same_

_Only given to a person, whether mutual or not_

Again, the illusion dragged Atemu into itself. The girl was dancing, always dancing. Yet this time she was also singing.

_This is a dangerous gambling, yet risks are worth to be taken_

_A curious feeling, yet comfortable at the same time_

_No matter how hard I wish to let go, it won't disappear_

_So I will hold onto it and face whatever is ahead_

All he wanted to do was to hold her tight, forever and ever. The more she danced, the more he needed her.

And he didn't even know what caused him to feel like that. And it wasn't like he knew what the feeling was either.

_Feelings those are unexplainable and sometimes painful_

_Too beautiful to be let go, yet too painful to be kept_

_What is this, I don't know, and I doubt I ever will_

'_Cause some things in this world are better to be left_

_Unexplainable…_

Now he wasn't even aware of the reality anymore. He was in his own world, and he wasn't going to leave anytime soon.

Yet all dances had to end, and this was no exception.

_This silent nervous feeling, unnerving yet not unwelcome_

_Heart is beating hard, cheeks flushing red in sudden shyness_

_A curious feeling, yet comfortable at the same time_

_No matter how hard I wish to let go, it won't disappear_

_I will put all I have into this dangerous gambling_

_For some things are best to be left_

_Unexplainable…_

He was still staring at the empty stage for a few minutes until someone suddenly tapped his shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

_'That voice…'_

There she was, the girl, standing right beside him with a look of concern and curiosity on her face. A towel was draped over her shoulder, and she was wiping away the beads of sweat from her forehead.

"Yeah," Atemu replied, not fully trusting his voice. "Sure. By the way, you were great up there."

The girl smiled nervously. "Thanks," she finally said. "I'll be here everyday, starts from today. You can watch me anytime."

"I will."

The silence that came after the sentence was tense, filled with words unspoken and thoughts kept. Atemu was the first one to break it by saying, "Why are they calling you apricot?"

The girl chuckled. "That was a kind of code for me. You see, my real name is actually…"

"Anzu!"

Her words were cut off as she averted her gaze to a girl near a tent. ""m coming, Mai!" she called back.

She turned to Atemu, eyes as bright as ever. "See you, then," she said softly, already starting to walk off.

"Wait!" Atemu called, catching her arm. "Will we meet again?"

There was another silence, yet it was short, and filled with hesitation. "We will," Anzu assured, before setting off toward her friend.

Although she didn't know it, Atemu smirked when she left. "See you, Apricot," he whispered. He kept silent for a minute, before adding, "…No, see you, _Anzu_."

And with that, he turned on his heels and walked off toward the palace, his heart determined to come back to watch her again tomorrow.

And he did.

**Phew! That was exhausting! I like it. What do you think, readers? I know that this story isn't complete enough, yet if you want a sequel, you better give me more reviews demanding for it. Then perhaps I'll consider….**

**R&R!**

_Celon Ierith_


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